Celiac Disease In The News

[celiac3270]

Okay, I'll keep 'em coming! Just didn't want to post it and bump this in front of the other posts in this section if people didn't want to see it...lol.

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Oh, the stuff from this Baltimore newspaper requires a registration....so the text of an article that you used to be able to get online and now can't:

Cookies are both crunchy and soft

Recipe Finder

By Julie Rothman

Special To The Sun

Originally published April 6, 2005

Isobel Clayton of Santa Rosa, Calif., was looking for a recipe for chocolate macaroon cookies. We received several versions in response to her request.

I chose to test a recipe sent in by Carol Katsampis of Ellicott City that used only egg whites, no flour. It was a quick and easy recipe that made a cookie that was wonderfully crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. It is completely gluten-free and would be an ideal treat to make for the Passover holiday.

Recipe requests

Helen Orem from Baltimore is looking for a recipe for a fresh fruit dip "similar to the T. Marzetti's brand cream cheese fruit dip that is sold in supermarkets."

Gerry Smaidris of Woodstock, Ill., is looking for a recipe she lost for a carrot casserole. Some of the ingredients are slices of carrot, yellow onion, cheddar cheese and a can of cream soup.

If you are looking for a recipe or can answer a request for a hard-to-find recipe, write to Julie Rothman, Recipe Finder, The Sun, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278. If you send more than one recipe, put each on a separate piece of paper with your name, address and daytime phone number. Names must accompany recipes to be published. Letters may be edited for clarity.

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Chocolate Macaroons

Makes about 1 dozen cookies

2 egg whites

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

6 ounces melted semisweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Grease cookie sheet and cover it with a sheet of greased wax paper or parchment paper. Set aside. Beat egg whites until foamy.

Gradually add sugar to egg whites, beating after each addition until peaks form. Add salt and vanilla and fold in melted chocolate; then add coconut. Drop in small mounds on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. Cool a few minutes on pan before transferring to cooling rack.

Per serving: 162 calories; 2 grams protein; 8 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 23 grams carbohydrate; 1 gram fiber; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 90 milligrams sodium

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....and another w/o link:

On July 20, Congress passed the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) ensuring that people with celiac disease and food allergies can read ingredient statements and easily determine if the product is safe to eat.

"This will take the guess-work out of eating for consumers with celiac disease and food allergies," says Beth Hillson, owner of the Gluten-Free Pantry, and a member of the American Celiac Task Force (ACTF), which was instrumental in obtaining passage of the bill.

"Manufacturers will find the activity on their consumer hot lines decreasing dramatically as they 'tell all' on their labels," according to Hillson who is also a celiac and the mother of a celiac teenager.

Representative Nita Lowey (NY) a sponsor of the bill, explains "With no treatment for celiac disease, the only alternative is to follow a strict gluten-free diet

[celiac3270]

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You need to register to see the latter, I just did and here's the article:

Lawsuit accuses teacher of forcing 5-year-old girl to unclog commode

By KRISTEN ZAMBO, klzambo@naplesnews.com

April 7, 2005

After becoming sick in her Bonita Springs kindergarten class washroom, a little girl's teacher made her don rubber gloves and manually remove the clog, according to a civil lawsuit filed in Lee County.

Lori Januska of San Carlos Park filed suit this week against Bonita Springs Charter School after she said her 5-year-old daughter, Heather, clogged the toilet Sept. 22, 2004, and her teacher made her remove the clog "in front of the entire class."

"Ms. Katherine Ring ... did ... subject (Heather) to a cruel, unusual and traumatic punishment for a 5-year-old child, manually removing paper towels and human feces from a restroom toilet," the suit says.

Lori and Heather Januska are suing the school, saying staff were negligent in hiring Ring, 36, of Bonita Springs, calling her academically and psychologically unqualified to teach, the suit said. They are suing for an unspecified amount in damages.

Calls were placed Wednesday to Ring's home, but she was unavailable for comment.

Neither Lori Januska, nor her husband, William, could be reached for comment Wednesday. Messages were left for Lori Januska's attorney, Joseph Gaeta, but he was unavailable for comment.

Mark Levinsen, senior vice president of administration and human resources for Charter Schools USA, said Wednesday that he hadn't seen a copy of the suit, but investigated the original complaint.

Saying Ring "has an absolutely clear record," Levinsen said "we took proper action. We did hold the teacher accountable. The teacher was disciplined."

He declined further comment.

Heather suffers from the gastrointestinal disorder celiac's disease, the suit said, and she admitted she clogged the toilet after Ring confronted her. Celiac's disease, also called celiac sprue, is a genetic disorder that damages the small intestine because of an intolerance to gluten. Gluten, a protein, is found in oats, wheat, rye and barley.

The condition is incurable, according to the Celiac Sprue Association. Symptoms include abdominal cramps, constipation, back pain and diarrhea.

The suit says the school is liable because "a vulnerable 5-year-old was subjected to cruel, unusual and traumatic disciplinary actions which directly resulted in severe emotional distress, pain and suffering and mental distress." The school didn't conduct a background check on Ring before hiring her, didn't interview prior employers "to determine whether she would pose a risk to the well-being of the children ..." and didn't conduct psychological testing on her.

Ring has no disciplinary record, according to Florida Department of Education records.

Lee County School District attorney Keith Martin declined comment on the suit. Principal Pamela Franco said she didn't know of the suit and also declined comment.

Bonita Springs Charter School is one of the school district's 11 charter schools, according to district records. Children attend tuition-free.

[celiac3270]

Hmm...not sure why they put the celiac in...is it because she had diarrhea due to celiac? It's a cruel punishment, nonetheless.

[Canadian Karen]

That poor little girl.......

It amazes me how some people can be so cruel - and to think that a person that cruel is in a position of authority over children is scary......

Karen

[debmidge]

What a rush of memories that brought back for me, as this teacher sounds like the ones I had in grammar school (I went to a private, religious grammar school).

How could the administration keep sticking up for this sick-o? If they didn't research her background before they hired her, they are guilty of wrongful hire. She should have been more concerned in the even the kid was sick, like with the flu. Heck with the toilet at that moment. I wonder what kind of a mother this woman is to her own kids. That is cruel treatment.

[Guest nini]

GOSH! I am soooooo glad I didn't have her as a teacher when I was a kid! There were many times I clogged the toilet!!! (prior to being dx with celiac)... Luckily my teachers would call in the school's maintenance man to take care of it and not say anything to the class. I would have just DIED of embarrassment if they had! I am puzzled why they felt they had to mention celiac in that article, also if her diet was being properly monitored by said teacher then she probably wouldn't have clogged the toilet in the first place!

[celiac3270]

I guess the fact that she had celiac disease, characterized by gastrointestinal symptoms, such as diarrhea, boosts their case....this is a child who has a problem with loose stools and the such, and then the teacher was insensitive to the condition, not to mention being generally out of line in asking any five-year-old to do that.

[celiac3270]

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(Another article about the girl who was forced to unclog the toilet)

[KaitiUSA]

That is so cruel....that lady should be fired and not allowed to teach in a school with young kids...she should be so embarrassed of her actions.

[ianm]

As far as school and gluten intolerance the more that things change the more they stay the same. School sucked for me when I was a kid and I see it sucked for that little girl. I hope her parents make sure that all of her future teachers understand her condition and NEVER cut the teachers any slack whatsoever.

[Rikki Tikki]

Hi celiac3270:

Do you get the alerts by setting the preference? I did that but it didn't ask for my e-mail address or anything.

Thanks!

[Rikki Tikki]

Does anybody know if this has taken effect?Manufacturers will find the activity on their consumer hot lines decreasing dramatically as they 'tell all' on their labels," according to Hillson who is also a celiac and the mother of a celiac teenager.

Representative Nita Lowey (NY) a sponsor of the bill, explains "With no treatment for celiac disease, the only alternative is to follow a strict gluten-free diet

[celiac3270]

Hi celiac3270:

Do you get the alerts by setting the preference? I did that but it didn't ask for my e-mail address or anything.

Thanks!

Go to Open Original Shared Link

Then enter keywords (i.e. celiac)

[Rikki Tikki]

Thanks celiac3270

[celiac3270]

Sure

[celiac3270]

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[celiac3270]

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[plantime]

www.health24.com/dietnfood/Food_causing_disease/15-737-740,31418.asp

I went to this one, and did not like what I read. The lists that were provided just didn't seem to jive with a celiac diet, and the recipe with gram flour looked so wrong! Unless gram flour and graham flour are different flours, why is a wheat-containing recipe being listed for gluten intolerances?!? Please, someone, read the article, and correct me if I'm wrong!

[KaitiUSA]

gram flour (besan) Made from chickpeas

GRAHAM flour (WHEAT) Graham flours are WHEAT flours, not to be confused with gram flour from chickpeas.

[plantime]

Thank you, Kaiti! It does make a difference to know that little bit!

[KaitiUSA]

Your welcome:) I didn't know the difference and I searched it and found that on another celiac site so I copied and pasted it. What would we do without the Internet?

[celiac3270]

Dessa,

A couple things bothered me (about that article) also. I didn't like that they said Milk (2 servings) or something. It makes it sound like if a celiac has more than 2 servings of milk, he or she will have a reaction or something.

I also thought that for a new celiac it would give the wrong impression. Not all candy is gluten-free, not all jelly, etc. It's vague, which is acceptable I guess for an article, but it could be confusing to a newbie.

[KaitiUSA]

I have to agree with celiac3270 there....it was vague and did not specify that some of the things they listed could in fact have gluten.

It also says under cereals that Rice Crispies are gluten free...which they have barley malt in them.

[celiac3270]

Sorry...we've had a couple slow days and I got no articles. Here are some new ones, though:

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I checked 2 others I got in the alert and they had no pertinence to celiac disease....sorta like the ones I've been getting the past few days about importation of corn gluten

[celiac3270]

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reference made to the gluten-free bakery in whole foods.